Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A commenter on Swamplot made the following comment in reference to some new construction in the Third Ward:

My understanding is that it goes like this: First are usually the lower income artistic types who give the area a ‘vibe.’ Then come slightly higher income artistic types who find fixer-uppers and start increasing property values. Then come the affluent who scrape the lots to build their own houses. Finally, the developers come in to build on any remaining semi-large contiguous lots. ["Comment of the Day: Getting Ahead of the Game in the Third Ward", Swamplot, 8/28/2013]

Someone responded, "I’ve lived here [the Third Ward] for 4 years and have yet to meet a single 'artist.'
Also, I’m not 'artistic' at all…I’m a square middle-aged white guy
working for an oil company."

So this made me wonder--where do the artists live? I know where some Houston artists live because I've been to their homes. Of course, there is Itchy Acres, the clot of artists living up in Independence Heights.

Are you an artist? If so, please tell me in the comments where you live (just your neighborhood--I don't want your street address). If you don't want to mention where you live in public, please feel free to email me. I will keep the information private. Then once I have enough responses, I'll publish the results.

P.S. If you are willing to reveal this, would you tell me if you rent or own? (Or have some other arrangement altogether?)

P.P.S. I assumed that respondents would all be visual artists of one sort or another, but I've gotten responses from people who identify themselves as musicians and writers. So if you want to, please let us know what kind of artist you are.

I think "art related" professions count. The thing I'm interested in is whether the presence of a certain density of artistic people in an otherwise "depressed" neighborhood foretells future gentrification. That's a commonly expressed theory, one that has renting artists in NYC or London migrating to new neighborhoods every 10 years or so... Houston's a little different because it is much easier for an artist to buy a place.

Eastwood! I'm a freelance graphic designer who just bought a house in Eastwood. Have met a few neighbors who are also artists studying at UH. Also.. after a few evening walks around the neighborhood, it was pretty apparent that there's a lot of creative-types based on little sculptures in the front yard, creative landscaping and interesting little porches with above average flair.

theatrical/writing artist living in Copperfield/Copperbrook (Hiway Six and West Road, not far from 290) by "some other arrangement." And yep, the commute sux....but there IS some work to be had out here too. It just generally gets ignored, though HouPress is doing better by that lately, strangely.

Small posse of hard-working artists in large old houses in the woods of Forest Cove by the San Jacinto River, NE of Houston.

Pop art, collage and assemblage, oil on canvas, watercolor, ink on paper, film and digital, electronic music, also wordsmithery. We own.

Regarding your 4 stages of gentrification below, we are between stage 2 and 3.

My understanding is that it goes like this: First are usually the lower income artistic types who give the area a ‘vibe.’ Then come slightly higher income artistic types who find fixer-uppers and start increasing property values. Then come the affluent who scrape the lots to build their own houses. Finally, the developers come in to build on any remaining semi-large contiguous lots.

3-D artists (husband and wife). Montrose. Rented for years. Was able to buy in the 1990's. Montrose is at "stage 4" of development. Property taxes are killing us. We fear the demise of funky, hip Montrose as developers build more ugly, huge high-rises and the University Rail cuts Montrose off from the Museum District. Here's to the artists who take a crappy area and turn it into a desirable destination/neighborhood!

I own a house in Knollwood Village (South Braeswood area). I play in a band (i.e. Mardi Gras w/ the Neon Trees headliners, Austin, Houston, Galveston, etc). My neighborhood is near West U and is fully gentrified and expensive. I bought a fixer-upper and put a lot of $$$ (and sweat work) into it. I've met several other musicians and artists in the neighborhood as well.